Word
kev
Phoneticskev
Definition
n. a very small unit of energy used by scientists to measure how fast tiny particles move. It is short for 'kilo-electronvolt'.
n. a unit of energy equal to one thousand electronvolts, commonly used in particle physics and radiology to express the energy of X-rays or the kinetic energy of electrons. Often written as keV with a lowercase 'k' and uppercase 'V'.
Examples
“The X-ray machine operates at 100 keV.”
“Researchers measured the energy of the emitted photons and found they peaked at approximately 50 keV during the experiment.”
“In high-energy physics, the precision of the detector allows for the identification of specific isotopes by measuring gamma-ray emissions that fall within the range of several hundred keV.”
Examples
simple
“The X-ray machine operates at 100 keV.”
contextual
“Researchers measured the energy of the emitted photons and found they peaked at approximately 50 keV during the experiment.”
complex
“In high-energy physics, the precision of the detector allows for the identification of specific isotopes by measuring gamma-ray emissions that fall within the range of several hundred keV.”
Usage
Usually written as the abbreviation 'keV'; the full term 'kilo-electronvolt' is rarely used in speech.
Etymology
Shortening.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.